Rob Ford’s decision to cancel Transit City now comes with a $65-million price tag

TTC riders forced to pay increased fares for decreased servicemight be just a little bit perturbed to know what their money is going toward: light-rail lines that, technically speaking, don’t exist.The Globe and Mailreports that Rob Ford’s decision to unceremoniously kill Transit City is now pegged at $65 million.Of course, TTC riders’ extra dimes won’t actually be earmarked directly for a funeral fund for Transit City, but the timing of the news is still significant.Transit users are paying more and getting less, and Ford is clinging to his Sheppard subway dreams. Thatthe transit debacle hasn’t resulted in serious implications for the mayor—like pitchfork-and-torches kind of implications—is really kind of remarkable. Read the entire story [Globe and Mail] »

Joe Tory – I don’t even understand your post. You think throwing awaying money is a good thing? Somehow? I can only hope you are being unclearly sarcastic. Rob Ford has one catch phrase and he seems to be wasting money more than any other mayor i’ve seen.

“Rob Ford has one catch phrase and he seems to be wasting money more than any other mayor i’ve seen.”

Conservatives govern by managing crises. If the government isn’t in a state of crisis – preferably fiscal – leaders like Rob Ford, Stephen Harper, and Mike Harris can’t do a whole lot. To further the conservative agenda, we have to constantly be on the brink of collapse. Reckless spending, be it on unnecessary tax breaks; costly consultants who duplicate the work of bureaucrats (who are then paid to do very little); useless jet aircraft; fat single-source contracts; super-prisons; excessive policing… you get the picture.

“I don’t want to abolish government. I simply want to reduce it to the size where I can drag it into the bathroom and drown it in the bathtub.”

The more money we flush down the toilet, the less government we will have. It’s why The People elected Rob Ford – they don’t want a government anymore. It’s too inefficient – they want someone who can make the trains run on budget.

Bottom line is that Transit City was a crappy, short-sighted plan (with the exception of the Eglinton line, which is going ahead) that was rammed through with virtually zero public consultation. Virtually all of its supporters lived in the downtown core, you know, the area well served by subway. I don’t like Ford… but that doesn’t mean Transit City was a good plan.

realityCheck, get your reality checked. The reason Metrolinx farted around with the Transit City plan was BECAUSE they went through the trouble of environmental assessments, public meetings, etc. etc. etc. All worthless government claptrap.

Ford rolled in with a plan he came up with himself, I call it the “Subways Everywhere Eventually” plan. He didn’t consult the public – if he had, they might have watered it down like Metrolinx ended up doing. I’m not sure he consulted anyone but the consultants he has hired.

It’s a laugh riot to watch the Ford brothers flounder and fail. Eventually Toronto will have the transit system a properly working brain might endorse. Until then, it’s Just For Laughs Gags at City Hall.